


From The Ashes

by Amlin



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: A New Start, Abuse, Italian Mafia, More will be added, Multi, Past Torture, Slavery, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 15:36:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11626569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amlin/pseuds/Amlin
Summary: The world can be a cruel place, and nobody knows that better than Alibaba Saluja. Ripped from his mother and sold into slavery, the young man has gone through master after master in this dark game called 'life.' When a new master bids on him at an auction, his life is about to get far more... interesting.





	From The Ashes

Dark. Cold. Laughter. Cruel, dark laughter. Pain. The skin of his back was on fire, the icy bite of metal around his neck and wrists. There was crying from the children. Lives too young to understand why this was happening. Too young to be away from their parents. Parents who were most likely killed. The sound of a whip cracking through the air, a scream. The crying doubled. It wasn’t fair. They were just scared. They didn’t do anything. The guards didn’t care. They were born, that’s all the reason they needed. Some of them might not even make it out of here alive.

“Hey! Leave him alone! He’s just a child!”

The shout of an unknown man. Wide-eyed glances were cast in his direction, the sound of creaking metal being yanked open. Audible gasps as the occupant was yanked out, thrown to the floor. Muffled cries of pain echoed as feet connected to limbs and leather struck his back. Laughter. Always with the laughter. Why did pain entertain these men so? Were there really people who could be this cruel? Yes… People were cruel. Wicked. Monstrous. Inhuman. There would be no paradise for these men. They didn’t care. They were alive right now. That’s all that mattered.

The blond pulled his knees to his chest, the clanking of chains rattling as he wrapped his arms around himself. This was their fate. They had brought this upon themselves by being born. They would serve, or they would suffer. There was no in between, no option. They were all caught in a bad dream, a nightmare. There was nowhere to run. There was no escape. Those who tried were captured, beaten or killed, and tossed back in a cage to be returned or sold to someone who could handle their disobedience. To someone crueler than the last, someone who would beat the defiance out of them. Return them to being a good pet. A good object to do their master’s bidding.

Silence came like a plague as the guards tossed the man back into his cage. Barely breathing, bloodied. He didn’t utter another word. The children were too terrified to utter a sound. To cry aloud. Instead, silent tears filled their tiny eyes as the weight of the world came crashing down on them. They shouldn’t have to handle this. They should still be at their mother’s side, clinging to their father’s leg. Heartbreaking… The male buried his face in his knees, wishing to block out the world. To _wake up_. He never woke up. But he’d be a good boy. He’d been defiant once. He was too afraid to do it again. He would obey.

Obey whoever his new master was.

***

He never understood his sister’s appeal to these things.

Kassim had begun to grow a dislike for these Underground Auctions. His sister, however, dragged him along every month. He knew she enjoyed them, enjoyed watching the items being brought up on stage, oohing and ahhing over the unusual objects as the bids grew higher and higher. Until she finally saw something that caught her eye and prodded and nudged him until he gave in and placed a bid of his own. Until he won it for her. And then she was content, and if he were lucky enough and had spent enough money on the item, she was happy enough to let them leave.

Many people crowded the venue. Chattering galore filled the large chamber, from gossip about family rivalries, to talk about the latest fashion. Several women even preoccupied some of their time by chatting with Mariam, who was more than eager to reply. When her brother let out a noticeably loud yawn, she cast the women an apologetic look before walking away with him to continue their walk to their place.

“I wish you would stop doing that,” she scolded in a hushed whisper.

“And I wish you would stop talking to them,” was her answer back. “Mariam, you might enjoy their scandals, but I really don’t have the ear for it. I would be more than happy to allow you to continue if I could leave, but I can’t leave you alone in this place.”

The girl let out a small snort. “I’m surrounded by people, I’d be fine. I can protect myself.”

He shook his head and didn’t bother to respond. Kassim disagreed with that. Yes, they were surrounded by people. Individuals who were all here to deal with _illegal_ things. While many of the stuff sold here was legal, it was part of the black market, after all. From fancy jewelry to rare exotic treasures from the east, to the unethical selling of humans… There was a wide selection for people to choose from. However, anyone who was willing to attend an auction selling slaves was not somewhere he was ready to part ways with his little sister. He had a lot of enemies in the business he was a part of. A lot of enemies that would really like to get their hands on his sister as a bargaining chip.

The two of them proceeded in silence through the crowd until they reached a set of stairs near the back of the auditorium. The wood creaked and groaned as they made their way up them, down a short hall until the opening of a door revealed the balcony he had reserved for them every month. Mariam excitedly pushed her way past him to grip the golden banister and peer over the edge. They were at least thirty feet above everyone down below, providing plenty of space to view whatever, or whoever was dragged up on the stage.

Settling down in one of several red plush chairs, Kassim let his sister do her usual routine as he waited for the auction to start. Glancing at his watch to check the time, knowing it was going to go by slow as usual. 7:54pm. Six minutes until the auction was supposed to begin and several hours until it was over. People were taking their seats, but the mass of talking didn’t stop until someone began to wheel in a cart with the first item. Mariam dragged her chair up to the edge of the balcony to get a better view, and the dreaded wait began.

He passed the time by picking at his nails or pulling imaginary hairs off his pants as he listened to his sister go on about whatever they brought up. There were a few things that Kassim wouldn’t have minded having around, but nothing that he was willing to bother purchasing. That is until his sister finally spotted what she wanted. A golden necklace inlaid with ‘the rarest’ rubies, handcrafted by some long forgotten jeweler in Egypt long ago. Or at least, that’s what they claimed. It was enough to garner Mariam’s attention at least. Instantly she turned to him as people began to shout out bids, her eyes big with that puppy-dog look she loved to give him.

And that’s how he knew he better buy it before he was given the silent treatment for the next week and a half. After several bids, he finally won it for her, much to her glee. 450k Euros, a high price for a piece of jewelry that probably sold for a couple hundred initially. But a happy sister was an easy life for the man, and that was something he was all right with. Unfortunately for him, however, the girl wanted to remain. He let out a small sigh and fell back in his chair, tapping his foot a little impatiently. Several items later and they were onto the next section: people.

They were almost all women, some in their teens, others in their early twenties. All young in some way. All dressed up, made beautiful. Their eyes lifeless. Everyone knew what they would be used for, it wasn’t something anyone could deny. Most of them were bought by disgusting old men. There were a few men tossed in here and there, played up on their physical ability, or children, who could be trained to meet whatever their master desired. Mariam was always quiet and solemn during this part of the auction. It made Kassim wonder why she even wished to stay and watch.

Another woman was dragged up on stage. Mariam leaned forward in her seat at this one, but Kassim only gave her a quick glance. Petite but with enough muscle to show she was more than just a trophy slave. Or that she was used to more. Short blonde hair, pale skin. Dressed in some red silk that wrapped around her body but showed most of it off. Some kind of eastern dancer outfit it seemed. If he had bothered to look closer, he would have noticed something… very off about her.

“And this one here, now ‘ _she_ ’ is a feisty one!” the auctioneer prattled off. “Willing to serve your every need!” That’s when he stopped bothering to listen. Another girl being sold for sex. He rolled his eyes and looked at his watch, but after a moment he heard his sister speak and glanced up at her.

“Come again?”

“Buy this one.” The way she said it was so serious he had to wonder if someone had abducted his sister and replaced her with a lookalike. His brow knit together and he was about to protest before she spoke again, more insistent. “ _Buy him, Kassim_.”

That caused him to fall silent. Wait, _him_? For the first time, he actually bothered to thoroughly look at the stage, and it was pretty obvious right away. It certainly wasn’t a woman. A male stood on the stage, his head down and his hair covering his eyes, hiding whatever emotion filled them. Probably fear, or tears, he decided. He was actually rather lovely, the ‘outfit,' if you could even call it that, didn’t cover much, only the essentials, and seemed to accent his body more than anything. The thought of watching this one dance in a similar outfit crossed his mind, but he quickly pushed it out. There was something about him, something he couldn’t quite place. He felt like he might know him from somewhere, but that was absurd. The feeling was intense though, and wouldn’t go away.

“Brother, ple-”

“Five million euros.” He’d stood up and spat out the sum so quickly and assertively that a silence filled the crowd as everyone collectively turned to face him. For all he knew, he might not have even needed to bid anywhere nearly as high. The blond looked up towards the voice, and their eyes met. A moment passed. “Five million,” he repeated.

“I…” the auctioneer stammered. While he had bought many an expensive thing at these auctions before, never once had he actually purchased a slave. It seemed both the auctioneer and the customers were all surprised that now was different. “Will anyone give me five fifty? Going once... going twice, sold!”  
Kassim and the blond male kept eye contact until he yanked off stage and the next was brought on. He sat back down in his chair and ignored his sister’s happy look as he fell back into his usual state of ignoring everything. He still wasn’t sure about what he had felt, but he did know one thing. It was the right choice. He couldn’t have let someone else buy him. He wasn’t sure why, but he was sure of that much.

The auction ended shortly after, thankfully, and everyone began to move about once more. Either to leave, or go backstage and pick up their new possession. Mariam tugged on his sleeve to catch his attention, and they collected their belongings before proceeding downstairs. He let his sister lead the way to the back, gave her his card to pay but keeping an eye on her, and headed towards the cages where they kept the slaves. Upon seeing him, one of the guards began to drag the blond out of his cage, yanking him when he didn’t move fast enough.

“Stop.” Kassim hissed out, the command leaving him before he could stop it. The guard paused before removing his hands from the slave. “Remove the collar and chains.”

“But sir, do you think that’s wise-”

“I said, remove the chains. _Now_.” His tone left no room for argument, and the man did as told. Only once the chains had fallen to the ground, and he had been pushed forward, did the male look up at his new owner. “My sister’s paying. We will leave now. Come.”

Kassim didn’t spare him another look before he turned on his heel and began to walk away. Hesitating for a moment, his newly bought slave followed after him, letting his head fall once more to stare at the ground as he walked. They waited quietly for Mariam, and when she met up with him and returned his credit card, she moved to Alibaba as they continued.

“Hello, my name’s Mariam!” she said with a happy smile. The male looked up, blinking a couple of times at this sudden interaction. He didn’t seem sure of how to respond, or if he should even respond. He fidgeted with his own hands, quietly rubbing his wrists as his golden eyes darted around. Almost as if he were seeking some kind of escape. The girl’s eyes saddened, and she began to reach out to touch his arm until he stiffened and froze. Retracting her hand, she let it drop. “You don’t need to be afraid, you’re safe now. Right, brother?” Her tone suggested he say something reassuring, but Kassim just let out a pondering hum. With half the mind to kick her stubborn brother, she let a pout cross her face and looked back at the other. “You’re safe.”

“....No one is safe…” he mumbled.

“Oh, he does speak,” Kassim butted in, this time actually earning a light kick.

“Be nice!” she huffed. “Hey-” She paused. “What’s your name?”

The male glanced at Kassim, the look in his eyes asking what he should say. What did he want to call him? Did he have a name this time? Was it just pet? Slave? He’d been called a hundred things before, but never his actual name. When he didn’t get a reply, it seemed he’d settled his mind on giving her a real answer. She seemed kind enough, anyways. For now. He knew that always changed later, but for now, she didn’t seem all that bad, and he didn’t want to disappoint her by not answering her.

“It’s… Alibaba, ma’am…”

“Alibaba! That’s a nice name. Call me Mariam!” She saw him open his mouth to protest but cut him off. “ _Mariam_. Come on, say it. _Mariam_!”

“M-Mariam…”

“That’s it!” The grin on her face showed how happy she was. Meanwhile, however, Kassim wore a frown. That name… No, it was probably just a coincidence. He was sure there were others out there with the same name. He couldn’t be the only Alibaba in the world. He shook his head and pushed it out of his mind before looking over at his sister, who had linked her arms with his and Alibaba’s, pulling them all close together. Alibaba looked a little awkward, but Kassim only let out a long sigh, not surprised in the slightest. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, and something about her words just seemed _right_.

“Let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope this first chapter was enough to catch your attention and make you want more! I promise there's plenty more to come, and a ton more characters that will eventually be added in! Also to note, everyone is about the age they would be during the current arc's timeline. So, for example, Mariam is 18 years old here, Alibaba is 22, and Kassim is 23.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think below~


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